According to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the instructions came from the political echelon. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was quoted as saying that he held an emergency meeting to assess the situation and ordered preparations for the first phase of Trump's plan to release prisoners, stressing that "the security of the forces is a top priority."
This comes after Trump called on Israel to "stop bombing Gaza immediately" after Hamas agreed to the release of prisoners and other conditions in a US plan to end the war, but more complex issues such as disarmament appeared unresolved.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed in a statement that Netanyahu had directed the immediate implementation of the first phase of the Trump plan, noting that full coordination with the US administration would continue "to end the war in line with the principles set by Israel and President Trump's vision."
On Friday evening, Hamas said in a statement that it had submitted its response to the Trump plan for Gaza to the mediators, announcing its agreement to release all Israeli prisoners, living and dead. The movement also renewed its agreement to hand over control of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats, based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.
Trump released a video on Friday evening from his office in the White House in which he praised his allies for working to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas, saying, "This is a great day. We'll see how it plays out. We must write the final word in a concrete way."
He added, "We are very close to achieving peace in the Middle East," and ended the video by saying, "Everyone will be treated fairly," but it was not clear what Trump meant by that.
Tel Aviv estimates that there are 48 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 20 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, some 11,100 Palestinians languish in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Many of these Palestinians have been killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
On September 29, Trump announced a 20-point plan, including the release of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza within 72 hours of Israel's acceptance of the plan, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas.
During a press conference with Trump at the White House last Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he "supports the Trump plan," believing it "achieves Israel's goals from the war."
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 66,288 martyrs and 169,165 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 457 Palestinians, including 152 children.
